Microcontroller Based Implementation of an Integrated Navigation System for Ground Vehicles

Integration of low-cost inertial sensors with global position system is commonly used approach to increase the reliability and accuracy of navigation. Such systems are widely used in vehicle navigation and tracking systems. Integration of inertial navigation system and global positioning system (INS/GPS) is followed by the implementation of the Extended Kalman filter (EKF) for the purpose of optimal error estimation. The essence of integration lies in the fact that errors of each system are mutually uncorrelated. GPS data are the main source of information. In cases when GPS data are not available, INS data together with the EKF estimation are used. The main INS disadvantage is that it provides precise data only in short period of time. The EKF algorithm is implemented on the “mbed” microcontroller module and for purposes of communication with microcontroller, the user application is written. Original data have been collected during the real drive, while the intervals of GPS absence are simulated. The results obtained by simulation and practical implementation are presented in this paper.